North Jesmond

Your North Jesmond Liberal Democrats team led by Cllr Gerry Kearing are always happy to hear from you, and to hand action all year round"elp with any problems or queries. Email gerry.keating@newcastle-libdems.org.uk

We also hold ward surgeries where you can come and meet Cllr Catherine Walker and the team. These are held at Jesmond Library, St George's Terrace, on the first Thursday of each month at 6pm, and the 3rd Saturday at 10am (no surgeries held in August).

At the current time politics as usual is not appropriate. The utmost priority is the safety and welfare of all Newcastle's citizens and we will work with the council and partner organisations to safeguard this.

Newcastle Liberal Democrat councillors are working from home to support the community and neighbour networks that have been established in many neighbourhoods in the wards we represent. We aim to ensure that older and vulnerable constituents receive any assistance they need at this time, whilst staying aware of the need to comply with the Government's instructions on staying at home and social distancing - like the gulls in the picture!

The effect of car engines idling near schools is under increasing scrutiny. As well as damaging young lings and health, the latest research shows that drivers are poisoning themselves too. Liberal Democrats are campaigning to get drivers to turn off their engines when stopped near schools by persuasion at the moment. This poster outside a local school shows all the problems that arise from the practice of not turning off.

What is the true cost of the reduction in the number of litter bins across the City by the Labour run Council?

At last Cabinet Members and Service Directors have decided to come out of the Civic Centre to see what residents and we have been complaining about all this time.

They are annoyed about what it looks like. But what about the impact? Here are some examples observed by Liberal Democrats councillors who are often out and about in their wards litterpicking, frequently with local volunteers :

"It seems the Home Secreatry will talk about anything to tackle knife crime except the one thing that communities most desperately need: more police officers", says Ed Davey, who leads for the Liberal Democrats in Parliament on Home Affairs .

"The Home Office's own analysis shows that the Tories' excessive police cuts have contributed to the rise in serious violence, yet the Home Secretary stubbornly refuses to fund forces properly so they can put more officers on our streets.

"Tackling this knife crime epidemic does require a public health approach, but police are an integral part of that approach. How on earth does Javid expect police officers to spend more time working with youth workers and other agencies when they're already hugely overstretched?

"The Liberal Democrats demand better. The Government must urgently give local police forces the funding they need to recruit more officers and restore the community policing that prevents crime and keeps us safe."

I. Introduction
Newcastle Liberal Democrats hold firm to the values of the wider Liberal Democrat party. Our national vision is set out in the preamble to our party's federal constitution:
The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.
In Newcastle, we aim to stay true to our national vision.
In all that we say and do, we will strive to be open, tolerant and united and to demand better for the residents of our city.
We add one more proviso to our vision locally in our desire to be close to the communities in which we serve, to listen to local people, to work with community organisations, and to act on their behalf where it is possible to do so, in line with our Liberal Democrat principles.
We believe passionately that our focus as a local party and actions should be rooted in communities.

Here's what Cllr Colin Ferguson (pictured with Cllr Phil Hall, right, who chairs the Budget and Finance Scrutiny Committee) said in launching the Liberal Democrats' approach to Newcastle's 2019 budget which saw Labour hiking Council Tax by 3.95% and cutting services by £20 million, highlighting that the budget is based upon Labour's choices.

The statement by the three local councils (reproduced in full below) is a massive political cop-out and an abject failure of political leadership on the issue of the dangers of the air quality on our Tyneside streets.

Cllr Greg Stone, who speaks on transport and air quality issues for the Liberal Democrats, said "Other cities are dealing with the same challenges and the likes of Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, and Birmingham are consulting on their clean air charging proposals for polluting diesel emissions, not making excuses. We recognise that the A1 Western Bypass needs a national Highways Agency approach, but Newcastle, Gateshead, and North Tyneside had the opportunity to set out by the end of last year how they proposed to reduce emissions on the local network without a clean air charging scheme and have failed to do so.

Newcastle Liberal Democrats would like to hear from you about domestic waste and public litter bins to inform our response to the City Council'c review of its waste strategy and our manifesto for the 2019 elections. So we invite you to complete the survey which can be found at here

I have worked in the NHS for almost all my working life and I'm hugely proud of what the NHS achieves, Cllr Wendy Taylor who speaks on health and social care issues for the Liberal Democrats, told Newcastle City Council tonight.

As a doctor, I can't overstate how important it is to me to be able to offer my patients the best treatments available, without having to ask how much they can afford to pay. Yet as the motion says, the NHS is facing many difficulties including lack of funding, loss of staff and increasing debt. The impact of Jeremy Hunt's attack on junior doctors has been devastating, with over 50% of doctors not taking up a training post when they complete their basic training. Many are going to New Zealand or Australia, others are giving up medicine altogether. Of course many will come back to train as a GP or Consultant at a later time, but when I think of the enthusiasm and excitement of medical students when they apply to study medicine, it is so sad that much of this is lost once they qualify. And the loss of the bursaries for student nurses has been just as damaging.

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